Spring Statement 2026: What small businesses need to know
Yesterday Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her 2026 Spring Statement, where she provided an update on the state of the UK economy and the new Office of Budget Responsibility forecasts. Sticking to her commitment of only one fiscal event per year, no new policy or spending announcements were made in the Spring Statement, so what does that mean for small businesses? Shevaun Haviland, Director General for the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Today’s Spring Statement confirmed that the UK economy is heading in the right direction, but a further acceleration is needed. With GDP expected to grow well below 2% a year until 2030, unemployment set to rise in the near term, and net trade remaining anaemic, there is more to do”.
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Your next customer might be a bot, and it won’t care about your brand story
Agentic commerce, or AI shopping agents purchasing on behalf of customers, are becoming more and more common, meaning online stores must start optimising for agentic shoppers. This means that while regular human shoppers might admire your photography or click around until they find the information they are looking for, AI shopping agents don’t have the same patience, working best with clarity, certainty, and comparability.
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Export masterclasses to help Scottish businesses forge EU trade links
The Scotland Office will be hosting two-day sessions in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Inverness, mainly aimed at Scottish SMEs who are looking to either re-establish their presence in Europe or begin exporting to EU countries for the first time. Find out more about the EU Export Masterclasses and how your business could benefit from guidance on customs, regulations, and product standards with market-intelligence sharing.
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